Access to Work gives disabled employees a government grant of up to £69,260 a year (2025-26) for equipment, support workers, travel costs and mental-health support. It is a grant, not a loan, so it is never repaid. The money comes from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and it pays towards practical support that helps you start a job, stay in a job, or move between jobs.
What the grant can pay for
The support is built around you and the job you do. Depending on what you need, a grant can cover:
- specialist equipment and assistive software;
- a support worker, such as a job coach, a note-taker, a British Sign Language interpreter or a lip speaker;
- the extra cost of getting to and from work where you cannot use public transport;
- a mental-health support plan through the Mental Health Support Service;
- communication support at a job interview, and disability awareness training for your colleagues.
The grant is yours, not your employer's
This is the part most search results miss. You apply yourself, and the support belongs to you, not to your employer. You can apply even if your employer has not, and the grant follows you when you change jobs. Because it is a grant rather than a loan, you never pay it back, and it does not affect your other benefits. You also do not need a formal diagnosis: eligibility rests on having a disability or a physical or mental health condition that affects how you do your job or get to work, not on holding a diagnostic label.
Access to Work tops up support that goes beyond the reasonable adjustments your employer must already make for you by law. Your employer may be asked to share the cost of special equipment or workplace adaptations only — not support workers, travel or mental-health support — and only once you have worked there more than six weeks. If you are self-employed, or the support is a mental-health support plan, no cost share applies.
Why you should apply early
The scheme is in demand and slow to process, so do not leave it until the support is urgent. According to the National Audit Office (2026), average DWP processing time rose to 66 working days in 2024-25 and peaked at 109 working days in November 2025, with about 62,100 applications waiting for a decision in March 2025. You can apply once you have a confirmed job offer or a start date, so put your claim in then rather than waiting until you have started.
Where the law comes from
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.